Current-motor.



T. J. STEELE.

CURRENT MOTOR.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 23,1909.

957,388. PatentedMay 10,1910.

19 322W I ."M HM) WITNESSES aw/flmm 6L 0?. 12 mm.

UNITED STATES EPATEN @FFllfllit THOMAS J'QSTEELE, OF CITRA, FLORIDA.

CURRENT-MOTOR.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS J. STEELE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Citra, in the county of Marion and State of Florida, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Current-Motors, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention is an improvement in current motors, and its principal object, broadly stated, comprehends the production of an extremely simple and powerful motor of the type specified which is so constructed as to admit of its being put into operation in any river or stream where the requisite depth is obtainable, without necessitating the building of a dam, gate, or the like, and which furthermore is devoid of all valves, gears, and other similar moving parts that tend to materially increase the cost of the motor as well as its susceptibility to injury from various sources.

Briefly described, the improved motor comprises merely a housing, a wheel located therewit-hin, and driven by the force of the water which enters the housing through a series of four gate-controlled inlet openings and is directed tangentially against the wheel, and an outlet pipe which opens into the housing below the wheel and extends downstream a sufficient distance to obtain the requisite fall, that is the outlet pipe extends downstream to such a point that it projects above the surface of the water. This may be readily understood from, the fact that many streams have a twenty-five foot fall in every mile and in such streams as this the outlet pipe might be given a five-foot fall and project out of the surface of the stream well within a mile from the wheel house.

The preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of the improved motor, and Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same, with parts broken away.

Reference being had to said drawings, and to the numerals marked thereon, it will be seen that the motor comprises merely the three essential parts already mentioned, viz: the housing, which is designated in a general manner by the numeral 5, the wheel 6, and the outlet pipe 7 The housing, the construction of which presents the more important features of the invention, rests upon a suitable foundation Specification of Letters Patent. Pgttentgd ltIay 10), 1910, Application filed July 23, 1909.

Serial No. 509,157.

built up from the bed of the river or stream, and consists of upper and lower superposed compartments, 8 and 9, communicating with each other through a circular opening 10 formed in the top wall of the lower compartment. Both compartments are rectangular in shape, as shown, the lower compartment being closed on all sides. The upper compartment has a height suflicient to eX- tend above the high-water mark indicated by the dotted line 011 Fig. 1, and thus has its upper end projecting at all times above the surface of the water. This compartment has both ends thereof open.

The opening 10, above referred to, is bridged by a diametrically-arranged crosspiece 11 having a central bearing in which is journaled the lower end of the vertical wheel shaft 12, whose upper portion passes through an opening formed in a second cross-piece l3 bridging the upper end of compartment- 8, the shaft being held against vertical movement by a collar 14 secured thereto above the upper cross-piece.

The water wheel is secured to shaft 12 in any suitable manner and is located within the upper compartment of the housing. It consists of a cylindrical hub 15, a series of radiating blades 16, and top and bottom plates 17 and 18, the diameter of the latter plate being the same as that of the wheel hub. The wheel blades may be of any de sired construction, and are preferably fastened to the top plate 17 and to the hub. Their outer longitudinal edges are inclined downwardly and outwardly with respect to their inner edges.

Upon the top of the lower compartment there is mounted within the confines of the lower compartment a continuous rib 19 which is disposed against the inner faces of the side walls of the latter compartment and serves to support a false bottom plate 20 which fits within the compartment in question and has its four corners cut away, as shown in Fig. 2, to provide openings 21. Plate 20 has formed therein a central circular opening, the diameter of which is slightly greater than the lower diameter of the wheel. There is also fitted in this compartment in any preferred manner a second plate 22 which lies flush with the top plate 17 of the wheel and is formed with an opening in which said plate loosely fits. Plate 22 likewise has its corners cut away, thereby providing openings 23. Owing to this construction it will be obvious that any water which flows over the top of the housing and into the interior thereof, will not bank up therein, but will escape through the several openings 21 and 23 into the lower compartment and thence into the outlet pipe. Between the two plates 20 and 22 there are interposed a series of L-shaped guide plates 24 which are arranged adjacent the corners thereof and tangentially to the wheel, the height of said plates being equal to the distance between plates 20 and 22.

In the four walls of the upper compartment there are formed inlet openings 25 arranged centrally of said walls and adjacent the lower edges thereof. These openings are closed by means of gates 26 slidable in pairs of guides 27 secured to the outer faces of said walls, the gates being operated by means of upwardly extending handles 28. The arrangement of these openings with respect to the guide plates 24 is such that the water entering through the openings is directed through channels 29 formed between the long section of one guide plate and the short section of the adjacent plate, tangentially against the wheel, thereby rotating the latter, as will be apparent. Thus it will be understood from the foregoing that the water enters the housing at all four sides of the latter, its pressure being thus equalized, so that the wheel is rotated with comparative ease. Also there is no possibility of water entering the housing from the top and banking up therein, since it can readily escape into the outlet pipe through the openings 21 and 23. Finally, it will be obvious that when all four gates are closed, it is possible to enter the housing for repairing any injury to the wheel. The chances of such injury are slight, however, since the wheel is completely protected, and any stones or other foreign matter carried by the current into the housing will drop through the opening 10 into the lower compartment. 7

Moreover, the apparatus itself is not liable i to get out of order since it includes no valves, gears, or other comparatively delicate parts.

ith reference to the outlet pipe 7 it may be stated that the inlet end thereof is fitted in an opening in the front wall of the lower compartment 9, and that said pipe has a length suflicient to obtain the requisite drop or fall, it following the bed of the river or stream as will be understood. The apparatus as a whole is also susceptible to use on ponds above the dam, the outlet pipe extending down the pond and through the lower portion of the dam.

When the river, stream or pond is of suflicient width, two or more motors may be employed, thus rendering it possible to run machinery on both banks.

I claim:

1. A current motor comprising, in combination, a housing provided with inlet and outlet openings, a water wheel rotatably mounted therein, and plates arranged within said housing above and below the wheel and provided with alining openings to permit the escape of water above said wheel through the housing outlet.

2. A current motor comprising, in combination, a housing with inlets on all sides thereof, and with an outlet below said inlets, a horizontally arranged water wheel rotatable within the housing, and plates arranged within said housing above and below the wheel and provided with openings to permit the escape of water above said wheel through said outlet.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

THOS. J. STEELE.

Witnesses J. E. SHERMAN, STEWART RAMEY. 

